So I decided I needed to expand my fish store selection today. Usually I stick to my LFS Scales and Tails Burbank (1720 W Verdugo Ave. Burbank, CA 91506) or sometimes Peggy Woods Pet Emporium (923 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505). But I really felt I needed to look for a bigger selection, or maybe some better prices on some things. I was also really looking for some more Rabbit Snails. My friend Kevin from Eagle Rock came with me.
So here we go:
Dragon Aquarium (6507 Lankershim Boulevard North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Nothing special. I was expecting more due to the good ratings, but it seemed like many of the tanks were empty. And the ones that had fish didn't have any decorations. Maybe the store was between shipments. Anyway, the selection was eh, and so were the prices. Also, the turtles (African Snakenecks) had no basking areas or lights.
Aquarium Village (11734 Victory Boulevard North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Right around the corner. This place had more selection, but was still not impressed with the prices. Also, the fish were all the same LFS as you always see. Except in the back they did have a very large tank with a White Arrowana and some huge Catfish.
The Fish Pond (12459 Oxnard St, North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Dirty, small selection, not amazing prices.
Mark's Tropical Fish (12063 Ventura Pl, Studio City, CA 91604)
This place was great. Right when we walked in, we were greeted by 2 different men, both cleaning seperate tanks. This store was very clean and had a great selection. They had some Endler Livebearers which I rarely see in stores. They had lots of plants and the one guy I talked to was very informative. He sold me some live bloodworms for $2. A good amount at that. This store also had a nice plant selection.
Tropical Imports (1134 Colorado Street Glendale, CA 91205)
I've been to this place before. Very nice selection and good prices. Very nice planted tanks. This is the place to go for tanks. My friend who was looking for a tank is probably going to come back here. New: 40 Gallon with black cabinet stand, glass top and light fixture-$150.
Pasadena Tropical Fish (2982 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91107)
This place was easily the largest of all the stores and had a huge selction of fish and hardware. The prices were fantastic and the owners were friendly. I bought a 500ml bottle of FlorinMulti for $12.99. At my LFS I got the same product-250ml for $8.99. They also had Hikari Algae Wafers-2.89oz for $6.99. At my LFS it's usually $10. My favorite deal of the store came from the ghost shrimp. 1 for $.99, 6 for $1. I bought 12 for $2. All healthy.
It was a great day, but sadly, no one had any Rabbit Snails (tylomelania), and really no one knew what they were. I would show them videos, like the one below, of mine, and they all acted like they'd never seen them before.
[YT]pkZK2B042u0[/YT]
So here we go:
Dragon Aquarium (6507 Lankershim Boulevard North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Nothing special. I was expecting more due to the good ratings, but it seemed like many of the tanks were empty. And the ones that had fish didn't have any decorations. Maybe the store was between shipments. Anyway, the selection was eh, and so were the prices. Also, the turtles (African Snakenecks) had no basking areas or lights.
Aquarium Village (11734 Victory Boulevard North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Right around the corner. This place had more selection, but was still not impressed with the prices. Also, the fish were all the same LFS as you always see. Except in the back they did have a very large tank with a White Arrowana and some huge Catfish.
The Fish Pond (12459 Oxnard St, North Hollywood, CA 91606)
Dirty, small selection, not amazing prices.
Mark's Tropical Fish (12063 Ventura Pl, Studio City, CA 91604)
This place was great. Right when we walked in, we were greeted by 2 different men, both cleaning seperate tanks. This store was very clean and had a great selection. They had some Endler Livebearers which I rarely see in stores. They had lots of plants and the one guy I talked to was very informative. He sold me some live bloodworms for $2. A good amount at that. This store also had a nice plant selection.
Tropical Imports (1134 Colorado Street Glendale, CA 91205)
I've been to this place before. Very nice selection and good prices. Very nice planted tanks. This is the place to go for tanks. My friend who was looking for a tank is probably going to come back here. New: 40 Gallon with black cabinet stand, glass top and light fixture-$150.
Pasadena Tropical Fish (2982 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91107)
This place was easily the largest of all the stores and had a huge selction of fish and hardware. The prices were fantastic and the owners were friendly. I bought a 500ml bottle of FlorinMulti for $12.99. At my LFS I got the same product-250ml for $8.99. They also had Hikari Algae Wafers-2.89oz for $6.99. At my LFS it's usually $10. My favorite deal of the store came from the ghost shrimp. 1 for $.99, 6 for $1. I bought 12 for $2. All healthy.
It was a great day, but sadly, no one had any Rabbit Snails (tylomelania), and really no one knew what they were. I would show them videos, like the one below, of mine, and they all acted like they'd never seen them before.
[YT]pkZK2B042u0[/YT]
